Cedric hesitated briefly but ultimately pulled out half of the Necromancers who had been providing suppressive fire for the frontline, ordering them to intercept the incoming suicide bugs.

  Unfortunately, of the original 500 Necromancer formations, more than a dozen had already been wiped out in the previous firefight with the Thunder Drakes, who used concentrated fire tactics to eliminate them one by one.

  Now, these Necromancers had to both clear out the Thunder Drakes in the sky, suppress the advancing swarm on the frontline, and intercept the 4 million suicide bugs launching a high-speed assault.

  The firepower density was already stretched to the limit—and by the time Cedric noticed the suicide bugs, they were already dangerously close.

  The firepower provided by just over a hundred Necromancer strike groups was completely insufficient to intercept the fearlessly charging suicide bugs, who maintained high-speed erratic flight paths to tear through the defensive fire net.

  Nearly half of the suicide bugs slipped through from tricky angles, breaching the interception net of the Necromancers.

  The first suicide bug to break through flapped its wings frantically, bursting forward at its fastest possible speed.

  Its forehead horn drove straight into the protective barrier guarding a Necromancer magic formation.

  "Boom!"

  A massive explosion of fire burst outside the barrier, causing it to tremble slightly.

  Then came the second, then the third...

  A wave of suicide bugs followed closely, one after another.

  Each fiery explosion and shockwave, accompanied by the air-distorting heat, relentlessly battered the protective shields of the Necromancer formations.

  The barrier lasted only a few breaths under this onslaught before it shattered and vanished under the intense bombardment.

  Everything happened so fast.

  The explosions continued to erupt around Cedric as disbelief filled his eyes.

  Nearly two million massive fireballs detonated within the Necromancer arrays, turning the area into a raging inferno.

  The air twisted from the heat, and the Necromancers—now without their protective shields—were burned to charred remains in the blink of an eye.

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  The entire Necromancer formation suffered catastrophic losses from this wave of suicide bug bombardment.

  More than 300 floating Necromancer formations were completely destroyed.

  The remaining formations were either heavily damaged or severely impacted by the blast, causing the spectral energy beams that had been supporting other areas to abruptly cease.

  With a sudden vacuum in firepower, the Thunder Drakes—who had been suppressed until now—immediately seized the opening and launched a full-force assault.

  One after another, thunder flashes lit up the sky and rained down upon the remaining Necromancer formations.

  Already in poor condition after surviving the explosions, these formations had no chance of holding.

  Their defensive shields shattered under the intense, focused blue lightning beams from all directions.

  They were being simultaneously ravaged by both the lightning and the lingering high temperatures.

  Cedric’s entire Necromancer array was annihilated on the spot by William’s sudden ambush.

  At the same time, the other suicide bugs that had long been lurking in the sky also launched into action.

  The suicide bugs hovering above the skeletal knights folded their wings the moment they received William’s order and began their bombing run.

  The knight formations, exhausted and clumped together after prolonged combat, were easy targets.

  Above the largest horde of skeletons, the suicide bug swarm had already entered a dive upon receiving William’s command.

  Their targets were clear—the skeletal mages hidden within the horde, previously exposed while casting Undead Summoning, had already been fully locked on.

  "Boom... Boom boom... Boom boom boom..."

  The relentless chain of explosions was like New Year’s firecrackers, echoing ceaselessly across the battlefield.

  One blazing fireball after another rose from the ground.

  In an instant, the explosions, the fire, the deafening blasts, and the smoke turned the battlefield into a living apocalypse.

  Countless undead were consumed by the blasts, turned to ash under the extreme heat—casualties in the tens of thousands.

  Outside the divine battlefield, the already-eliminated contestants stood in the void, stunned into silence as they witnessed the apocalyptic carnage unfold.

  Jake stared blankly.

  Having voluntarily forfeited and been eliminated from the tournament, his eyes now shimmered with fear as he muttered to himself:

  “So this is the true power of a player who’s called a ‘monster’ in the global tournament?”

  “This... this isn’t something a normal student could ever go up against. The gap is just too massive. What’s the point of us even participating in the first place?”

  The teacher who had brought Jake to the tournament could only shake his head helplessly at the boy’s muttered words.

  He gently patted Jake’s shoulder and softly consoled him:

  “This kind of monster-level contestant showing up in the global tournament... it's just an exceptional case.”

  “It’s true that every year, a few students far beyond their peers appear—but rarely to this extent.”

  “You all just had bad luck this year. Focus on your development when we get back. One day, you might reach that level too.”